Hey Guys! First off let me start by saying that this site is amazing! I was reading through some of these logs and it really just made me feel better about this whole process. It feels accepting to know that there is other people out there like me, because it seems like the majority of the people that Im surrounded by have great, flawless skin.

My battle with acne started about a year ago, when my acne really started to kick in. That was back when I was 19, and I guess you could say I was pretty lucky in highschool and before that because I had the occasional zit here or there but they cleared up fast and left no marks and I spent those years with flawless skin. Last year I started using birth control and all of a sudden I started getting these horrible pimples all over my cheeks and face. What was worse was that they would leave red marks that took forever to heal (even if I didnt squeeze them or anything). I stopped taking the bcp after a month and my face just hasnt been the same since!

Thats when I started my struggles with different kinds of topicals and antibiotics. It seems like I tried every topical out there, from Benzol peroxide, to Tarozac and even Differin, some worked better than others but non helped get rid of the problem all together. I even took the antibiotic Doxicyclin (not sure if I spelled that one correctly) for a few months and it seems to help but then I got these weird little spots all over my face and stopped taking it.

After this I tried eating healthier, taking in my Omega 3s through fish oil, walnuts and I tried minimizing my Omega 6 intake but I still couldn't get rid of my cystic acne (which kept sprouting up especially on my cheeks and chin area!)

And thats when I decided it was time for Accutane so today I had my appointment with my Derm and she gave me the little booklet I need to sign before going on it! She said she would be putting me on 40 mg for 4-5 months and that I can start as soon as she gets my blood work back, which Im going to get done first thing tmw morning! At first I was real scared about going on Accutane but the more I read about it and the more I suffer with acne I feel like its the only thing left to do! Ill write as soon as I start taking it again! Xox

Ok so yesterday I finally got accutane and I took one right away cause I was super excited Today I had another with dinner and so far I havn't noticed any changes except for this big white head on my chin but thats been growing for a while..can't wait to see if any new surprises are in store tmw!

Good luck with your course! I am on Day 11 right now and things have gone well so far. I am really excited to see how it will turn out. I know you are as well and I am sure it will be a good decision for you! Have you started seeing any side effects yet?

So I am thinking of splitting my blog into two categories to simplify it.. they will be face and other side effects so here it goes

Face: pretty good, Im getting a few whiteheads on the side of my chin but they are manageable

Other Side Effects: Today I woke up with a headache but Im pretty sure that was from the sudden temp change because my boyfriend had the same symptoms as me (and hes not on accutane). Other than that, my face is drying up but my lips havn't yet but thats prob just because I apply vaseline regularly. Oh and mood is pretty good still!

Heyy pinkstarlett, thanks for the advice I will def start doing that! I read one of your posts about early IB's and I was just wondering how youre doing now? Is your IB over, or are you still getting some pimples? I think my IB is gonna start soon cause my face is getting all bumpy :s

Face: My chin is no longer a battle field (for now) but the war has moved onto my cheeks... when I look in the mirror I can see little bumps sticking out on both sides..pretty sure they will all turn into pimples soon enough. Could this be the IB? Not sure yet but I hope so!

Other Side Effects: Just a dry face but my eyes are not dry today (happy about that I hate putting eye drops in my eyes )

Face: Not a good day for my face...3 new pimples on my forehead which Im not used to because I never got pimples there before and I can tell four new ones are growing on the side of my chin...kinda sucks

Other Side Effects: My nose is tender when I touch it , kind of like when I get a sun burn..could this be accutane working on the blackheads? Not sure but I hope so!

So I decided to make weekly posts after the first week since there isnt really any drastic changes from day to day.

Face: I'm pretty sure I had the IB this week, a lot of new and random pimples showed up but now, on day 14, my face is calming down! I still have a few pimples but It's not as bumpy as before (it reached its peak on day 11 and 12).

Other side effects: The usual dryness (lips, eyes, face) but I also noticed in the past two days a strange anxious feeling. I cant tell if thats because finals are approaching or if accutane has something to do with it but I feel like its a bit of both because these are not the first finals Ive written and I don't remember feeling this stressed out in the past.

I did some reading and found that accutane can lower serotonin levels in the brain which causes anxiety, sleep deprivation and stress and was wondering if anyone else knows something about this or has experienced it?

few tips drink loads of water, take fish oils and omega 3,6 and 9s for joint health and stay active and eat healthy, use vaseline for dry lips before bed time just smear a shit load! just wanted to point out i had the anxious feeling, but honestly its all in your head, dont make yourself think u have something cause of the accutane, to tell u the truth i avoid searching accutane side effects etc because i didnt want the idea of them in my head, so i wouldn't question whether i have the side effects lol. Basically what im saying is your the one in control, dont make yourself beleive u have something because of accutane, cause most likely you dont and if u do you just cause it and make it worse. I sound like a crazy perosn, but i hope you understand my mentality rofl. Remain optimistic and happy strong mentality is key! time flys so dont worry ull be clear i no time ive been on it for 3 months and during those 3 months it felt like forever, but now i look back its like it just zipped on by lol, stay confident, go out and have fun, avoird sun light and overall be happy and live and enjoy life! GOODLUCK! if you ever have questions im always here to be asked

Thanks tallguy19, your post really cheered me up Youre totally right though, Im just psyching myself out. You said were only on it for three months? Thats awesome! Did it completely clear up in three? Also, I see your from Toronto too, what a crazy blizzard we had yesterday, when will this weather endd?!

Now an update since I have been kind of neglected this but only because of lots of school work to do and other things that I havnt had time to sit down and write!

DAY 15-21 or Week 3

Face: So just when I thought my face was calming down, I got another breakout and that one was a pretty bad one.. but again my face is calming down and one side of my face only has one pimple on it! I don't know what it is but its like at the end of every week it gets better then gets worse again (knock on wood this week is different)

Other Side Effects: Nothing new to report here except for that I noticed I am blind as a bat in the dark! Today I came home after being in the sunlight and I couldn't even turn my alarm off (the hallway can be pretty dark since there's no window) but I finally managed before it went off.

no problem i have this tendency of doing that to people LOL , oh im still on it lmfao i got 3 more months to go unfortunatly lol or fortunatly...? LOL and i still got alot of clearing up to do and i got some bad hyperpigmentation i have really sensitive skin so im not suprised i got some hyperpigmentation sucks but i just gota deal with it lol, ye i know tell me about this weather is ridiciulous alteast its nice and sunny yesterday and today i go to school in st. catharines at brock university, and we got loaded there with snow, and dont get me started on school work i just finally caught a break and went back home for the weekend thank god haha, what are you in for school?

ahh I have sensitive skin too I find that using moisturizer often makes the pigmentation go down quicker though! And Im studying International Relations..almost done my exams, 1 more week!

Officially finished my first month of accutane today! Blood work was good, and I saw my derm too. She was gonna bump my dosage but didnt since my skin was getting rly dry so Im doing 40 again this month.

DAY 22-30 or Week 4

Face: I think my face is finally calming down, and it feels a lot smoother in the parts that dont have any pimple remnants on them!

Other Side Effects: Nothing out of the ordinary, everythings going okay!

Face: Face is doing good, still have a feww whiteheads maybe three in total on my face and they are very small. The rest of my face is smooth with lots of red pigmentation but my skin is rly sensitive so I was expecting that. Its getting better as the days go by though

Other Side Effects: Not sure if I mentioned this before but heartburn, heartburn, heartburn!! This has been going on for at least 2 to 3 weeks and at first I didnt want to blame it on accutane but seeing as its not going away and I normally never get it, Im gonna go ahead and say its because of this. Also I have a dry and itchy scalp. The dry part isnt half bad I must say.. Im not getting dandruff or anything, it just takes forever for my hair to get oily. The itchy part is whats really annoying, with all the itching I do Im really surprised I dont get dandruff..Oh and my lips are so so dry..I have to keep my vaseline with me at all times because if I dont i find myself going through this vicious cycle of licking my lips to keep them moist which turns into chapped and painful lips which turns into more licking.. yeah not a good pattern! K and yeah thats about it for now..

Heyy Im using vaseline for my lips but I find myself reapplying it constantly..is there anything better ppl recommend?

DAY 45-51 or Week 7

Face: I have scabs mostly where my pimples have dried but I use cetaphil moisturizer for eczema prone skin (although I have never had eczema, I have pretty sensitive skin so my derm recommended that one because the other cetaphils burned)